Coiling-machine



I7. Ii. SLEEPER.

COILING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUGI8| I9I7.

` atented Oct. 28, 19I9 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

/ 60 2Q 3g 59" 41 26 0 l 40 l". H. `SLE-IEPER.

COHJNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED mais. 1911 Patented 0011.28, 1919.

2 SHEETS-sneer 2.

Unrri'in STATES; PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. SLEEPER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SLEEPER &

HARTLEY, mc., MASSACHUSETTS.

0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION COILING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

Application filed August 18, 1917. Serial No. 187,020.

of this-class which are adapted for the formation of spirally wound tubular coils of wire or other similar material, such as are used comonly as coverings for flexible shafting, electric cables and the like.

The invention resides in the provision of mechanism of this general class which is adapted for the formation of continuous tubular coil of more than one thickness of material, viz., an inner spirally wound coil and, as herein shown, an outer coil wound simultaneously upon the inner coil, with its convolutions interposed between adjacent convolutions of the inner coil. The invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, whereby the simultaneous winding and coiling of two continuous strips of material, constituting `the inner and outer coils of the resulting flexible tube, is eected at a high rate of speed, with a continuous production of the tubing in its final finished form, the various mechanisms being so cordinated as to produce this highly desirable result. The various features of my invention are fully set forth in the following description and pointed out in the annexed claims, reference being had in this connection to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same showing the driving gears.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view, taken transversely near the front of the machine, and showing the mechanism for coiling the material which constitutes the inner wall of the tube.

Fig. 4 is a view, artlv in section, of a sample of tubing which constitutes the product of my machine.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in section near the front 0f the machine, and showing the simultaneous coiling operations of the material constituting both the inner and the outer walls of the tubing.

Fig. 6 is a front view, partly in section, of the mechanism for coiling the material which constitutes the outer wall of the tube.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the guiding devices for the material of said outer wall.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating the grinding and coiling devices for the material constituting the outer wall, in the act of' being wound upon the inner wall of the tubing.

Like referenceJ characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

The mechanism constituting my invention is carried on a framework or base 1, which aords spaced front and rear walls 2 and 3 for the support of the shafting as hereinafter described. The mechanism is driven from a main driving shaft 4, Figs. 1 and 2, which carries on its rear end fast and loose pulleys of ordinary construction,

'as indicated by the broken lines 5, Fig. 2.

The driving belt, operated from a suitable source of power not shown, is `employed to drive the shaft 4 at the will of the operator, and when said belt is running idly on the loose pulley, the shaft 4 may be rotated by the operator by a hand wheel 6, Fig. 1, as

' and 18, so that the pairs of adjacent shafts 13, 17 and 14, 18 are driven in unison from a single source at substantially the same speeds.

The pair of shafts 13 and 17 at the front of the machine carry coperating feed rollers 19, 19 rotating in opposite directions, and the pair of shafts 14 and 18 carry similanfeed rollers 20, 20. These rollers 19 and 20 are suitably grooved, as shown at '21, 21, Fig. 3, to receive and advance by their rotation in unison the continuous strip of material 22, which is subsequently coiled in spiral form to constitute the inner wall of the flexible tubing. lf desired, in each machine, sets of rollers 19 and 20 may be provided in different sizes, and with dilierent size grooves 21 to accommodate material of different diameters, said rollers being interchangeable on their several shafts 13, 17 and 111, 18. Furthermore, the front end bearings o? ner shafts 17 and 18 may be adjusted ally, Within suitable limits, by incansei nd screws 23, 23, Fig. 1, in order to vary the pressure of the feed rolls 19 and 20 on the material i'ed thereby. To this end, the teeth or' the intermeshing pairs of gears 11, 15 and 12, 16 are made loose enough to alloiv for such angular movement ot' shafts 1T and 18, and the rear end bearings oi' said shafts are sWiVeled or pivoted on horizontal axes at right angles to the axes of said shafts, in a manner Well known in mechanism of this class, but not herein shown nor. specifically described, since the same forms no part of the present invention.

T he continuous strip of material 22 in its passage between the coperating pairs of feed rolls 19 and 20 is suitably guided by a channel formed between a pair of plates 24, 2%, and in advance of the rolls 20, in a similar channel 25, Fig. 3, formed between a pair or plates 26, 26. The channel 25 delivers the material to a coiling mechanism, which consists or'. three grooved rollers 27, 28 and 29, arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 3, on three sides of the space into which the material 22V'is thus fed. The roller 27 journaled in the forked end 4of a bar BO -which is held stationary to the Wall 2 by means of bolts 31. As thus held, the groore oir' roller 27 is disposed below the material 29 as it emerges trom channel 25, and the inclination of this roller and groove is such as to deflect the material slightly laterally or the line of feed into the groove ci' roller 28, which is odset slightly from the initial line of reed or the material rougi channel The roller 28 i Y 'forked endof a bar 32 upported on a bracket therein for islam a spiral coil. fThe roller 29 is adjustable vertically by means of a boltJ passing through the outer. end of bar 38 and bearing against bar 32,' as shown in Fig. 3, said bolt being retained in any predetermined position of adjustment by means of a nut 41.

rEhe roller 29 is thus raised and lowered in accordance With the diameter desired for the coil which is formed by the coperation of the three rollers 27, 28 and 29.

1n forming such a coil, the coiling operation is started by Winding the end of the material around a mandrel for a few turns or convolutions, and then inserting said turns in position between the coiling rollers 27, 28 and 29, which are then adjusted to the proper position to give a tubular coil of the required diameter. As a means for making these initial turns or convolutions by hand, particularly when the material 22 is so heavy as to resist easy lexure, the

frame of the machine provides a suitable socket 42 for the insertion ot' a mandrel 43, Which latter is adapted to be turned by a detachable crank 44e. This' mandrel is in substantial alinement With the channel 25 through which the material is fed to the coiling mechanism, and upon removal ot' the interposed roller 28 and bar 32, the material may be advanced to the mandrel by feed rollers 19 and 20, operated by hand Wheel' 5. The end of the continuous strip or' 'material is then bent over into engagement with a shoulder lo of the mandrel and a t'ew turns or convolutions are then Wound on the mandrel by the rotation ot the crank elfi. Thereupon, the coils or turns are removed rom the mandrel and the feed rolls 19 and 2G 'are reversed to bring this coiled end between the coiling rollers 27 and 29. rhereupon, the roller 28 is returned to its operative position, and together with the roller adjusted for theV commencement olf the coilnigy operation.

in front or' the ports coper Wall of the ...rlm shown bers 46 lead and direct the material 47 into close proximity to the coil of inner wall material 22, whose formation has been started, and then stopped to permit the end of strip 47 to be twisted a couple of times around the same, prior to the operation thereon of its coiling mechanism, as hereinafter described;

The shaft 14 carries a gear 48 which operates through an idler gear 49 to drive a shaft 50 in the same direction as shaft 14, said shaft 50 having a gear 51 in mesh with the idler gear 49. The shaft 50 in turning drives an upper shaft 52 through gears 53 and 54 i-n mesh with an idler 55. The forward ends of shafts 50 and 52 carry coili-ng disks 56 and 57, which thus rotate in the same direction, with their Vperipheries adjacent the spirally wound tubing which is moved outwardly between said peripheries by the action of coiling rollers 27, 28

and 29. These disks operate to press the material 47 firmly into the spaces between adjacent convolutions of the coil formedA from material 22, the lower disk 56 moving in the same direction as the material 47 on the under side of-said coil, and the up'- and 18.

per disk 57 moving in the same direction as the material on the upper side of said coil. The action of the disks in guiding and pressing the material into spiral form on ythe rotating coil is supplemented by the endof stationary clamping plate 36 which revents deflection of the material 47 in a orizontal direction. The shafts 50 and 52 are adapted to receive disks 5.6 and 57 of varying diameter in accordance with the diameter of the tubing to be formed and in accordance with the character of the outer wall material 47. In addition, the forward end of shaft 52 has its bearing 58 vertically adjustable in the wall 2, as shown in Fig. 3, the rear end of said shaft having its"v bearing swiveled the same as shafts 17 The handscrew 59, or other equivalent means, is employed to retain the bearing in suitable position for the operation of the disk 57, the lower end of said bearing being supported by a compression spring 60 which lis acted against by hand screw 59.

The operation of the machine will be clear fromthe foregoing description. It is apparent that the machine as above described is adapted for the manufacture of the double thickness spiral tubing at a high rate of production, and in the simplest and most economical manner. The entire absence of a mandrel. and plurally grooved forming -rolls in the coiling mechanism for the inner winding allows said coiling mechanism to be operated at an extremely high speed, since the material which forms said inner winding is progressively and rapidly guided by simple grooved rollsinto an easy bend. In my machine the material for the inner winding does not have to pass into a restricted or tortuous space between a mandrel and plurally grooved forming rolls, wherein it is yapt 'to jam, as in other machines turning out a similar product. Hence, there is practically no limitation on the speed at whichthe winding mechanism may run. Furthermore, the winding of thev a mandrel for drawing the material 47 I claim,

1. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding the wire to be coiled, coiling means, means for feeding a second wire in a line tangential to the coil formed by said coiling means, a pair of pressure rolls one above and one below the coil for confining said second wire, and an abutting wall bearing against the coil on the side opposite the llne of feeding.

2. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding a wire to be coiled, means for coiling the wire, means for feeding a second wire in a line tangential to a coil formed by said coiling means, a pair of pressure rolls, one above and one below the coil, for operation on said second wire, said rolls having their axes approximately in the vertical plane of the axis of the coil, and pressure resisting means bearing against the coil on the side opposite the feeding mechanism.

3. In a machine of the class described, means for feeding a wire to be coiled, means for coiling the wire, mea-ns for feeding a .second wire in a line tangential to a coil formed by said coiling means, and a pair of pressure rolls,A one vertically above and-the..

FRANK H. SLEEPER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE D. HARTLEY, WILLIAM H. BLoUNT. 

